Posts tagged “Revisions”

So you may have seen quite a few posts on Book of Tas’und’eash which
is intended to be the first book of my Volocio Saga but now I am
talking about a novel called Volocio…..which is actually book 4.

What the hell would I do that?

Well, I had originally thought about puuled a George Lucas and
starting with my Episode 4. Remember in an earlier post how I was
really inspired by Star Wars? Well, when I first started writing, it
was also the time that ‘The Phantom Menace’ came out in theatres.

I love genesis stories. I love knowing how things grew to where they
were in the main story. I loved the idea of how Anakin became Vader
(I may not have been a total fan of the execution); I love the idea of
how Aslan created Narnia.

But what I really love are the Easter eggs. If you’re not familiar
with the concept: they are little details that may be an homage to
something earlier or later. The point is that it is subtle. Perfect
example: the origin of the lamp post in The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. In this book, the lamp post serves no other purpose than
to stand there and be the starting point where Lucy meets Mr. Tumnus.
But in its prequel The Magicians Nephew, you find out where this
lamp post came from. It’s such s small detail but I love it.

So I knew I was going to have a prequel in mind and I wanted my own
little Easter eggs for my readers. I still felt that Volocio wasn’t
ready so I put it aside and started working on the prequel trilogy
with Book of Tas’und’eash being the first. I have spent over a year
writing that book and carefully crafting the two subsequent books.
They are almost completely mapped out and I have already picked out my
Easter eggs. So what to do now?

I remembered a conversation I had with an old friend while in New York
City this last April. JB had pointed out that my episodes 4, 5, and 6
were to be my true series and the prequel trilogy will be great
stories to enhance the main series. That’s when I realized that he
was right and that now my Easter eggs are in place, I can go back toVolocio and add the final touches.

I can be like other authors who did not write their series in
chronological order such as Marion Zimmer Bradley’s Darkover, or
Anne McCaffrey’s Pern, or even Lois McMaster Bujold’s Vorkosigan.

So while I am still working a little on Book of Tas’und’eash, I will
be putting my efforts into ‘Volocio’ in order to get that world out
there to my readers.

Actually I can and I will: I finished my first draft (at the time it
was called So It Begins) when I was about fifteen. It was one whole
book and at the time it was a huge accomplishment. Then I started my
freshman year of high school and I remember sitting in English class
when it dawned on me….it had to be a trilogy. So I took the story
and broke it into three separate pieces and then I totally revamped
book 1.

I finished that draft a few years latera and had a friend of my mom
look at it. Naomi was my first real editor and she was great. She
was very positive and constructive. I also really needed help with my
grammar (which is still not perfect, by the way – speaking three
languages tends to mess you up from time to time). I was very lucky
to have her.

By the time I was eighteen and a senior in high school, I decided to
try my hand at sending my manuscripts to publishers. I believe I sent
out 26 packages (yes packages….this was before you sent queries by
e-mail). While I waited it dawned on me that this was still not the
story I wanted to tell, but it was too late.

But then I was rejected by all. I did get one piece of advice that I
still cherish greatly: You have a lot of great ideas, but too many.

Yes….just a big yes!

So now we are entering my freshman year of college where I guttedVolocio and made a third a final draft that I am still happy with to
this very day. Once I finally finished, I put it away for a few years
and worked on some other projects in the same world. But every time I
come back, I am still ok with the story.

Now I need to finally get off my ass and get Beta Readers.

Anyway, the point I am trying to make is to just write because you
will make revisions after revisions but the point is to get it out
there in the first place.